Lightning-arrester.



No. 720,226. PATENTED FEB. l0, 1903.. J. P. COLEMAN.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER.

APPLIOATIQN FILED PEB. 1, 1902. H0 MODEL. 4 2 SHEETS-SHEET L.

WITNESSES INVENTOR M.. f. 0MM

@W2/@M1 m PATENTED PEB. 10, 1903.

J. P. COLEMAN.

LIGHTNING ARRESTER. APPLIATION HLED FEB. 1, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

CONSOLLI INVENTQR NZM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

JOHN PRESSLEY COLEMAN, OF EDGEWOOD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, AS- SIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISS- VALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LIGHTNING-ARRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,226, dated February 10, 1903.

Application led February 1, 1902. Serial No. 92,141. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN PREssLEY COLE- MAN, of Edgewood Park, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Lightning-Arrester, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of my improved lightning-arrester applied to tWo-block-sections of a railroad. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the arrester, and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line III III of Fig. 2.

My invention relates to that class of lightning-arresters which are used in connection with automatic block-signal systems, and particularly those systems in which the rails form the means for carrying the main circuits, and it is designed to aiord a simple and effective apparatus whereby the static charge of electricity in the rails constituting a block-section may be easily discharged.

A further object is to provide adjustments whereby air-gaps formed between adjacent plates of the arrester may be regulated and means by which said plates may be used for a prolonged period, even after repeated inury.

J My invention consists of a lightningarrester which may be introduced between the adjacent ends of block-sections. ning-arrester comprises a series of plates arranged in close proximity to a common ground-plate and lying electrically adjacent to each other and to the ground-plate, either by reason of their positions relative to each other or of the connections between them.

It further consists in providing the plates with means for adjusting the space between adjacent plates and in forming on their periphery suitable projections which may be brought into proper positions so that the device may be used repeatedly after the plate has been injured by the charge of electricity.

My invention further consists in certain features of construction and combination of parts, as will more fully hereinafter appear, and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A B are adjacent blocksaid nghtsections, the rails of which constitute the conductors of a track-circuit, Which are fed by suitable track-batteries 2 3. The track-circuitin section A includes the helix of therelay 4, controlling the block-signal or other circuit in the usual Way. The track-section formed by section B is supplied from trackbattery 3 through a pole-changer 5, operated by the signal H, which is provided with the usual signal-operating mechanism governed by the relay .4. The relay 6 is similar to the relay 4, but is provided With a neutral armature 7 and a polarized armature 8 of wellknown construction. The neutral armature controls the signal or other circuit, and the polarized armature controls a second signal or other circuit independently of that controlled by the neutral armature in the usual manner by the reversal of the direction of the current by the operation of the polechanger which is attached to the signal or other device of the next succeeding block.

A train on the section B Will short-circuit the relay, and thus operate the usual neutral and polarized armatures. Between the adjacent block-sections and connected to the rails of each section I place my improved lightnin g-arrester,which comprises a suitable base, of insulating material 9, through which extend suitable pins l0, provided with bindingposts 11 and 12. These pins 10 are provided with notched plates or disks a a, bb, c c, d d, preferably arranged in groups, as shown in Fig. 2, and surround a central ground plate or disk 13, mounted on a pin 14 and provided with suitable binding-posts 15' and thumbnut 16. An inductive resistance 17 is placed between the pins carrying the plates a a, and the ends of the coils are connected to the binding-posts 12 12. The plates b b, c c, and d d are similarly connected, and these inductive resistance-coils 17 I preferably place beneath the base 9 and support them upon a rod or core 18, which is held in position by clampingscrews 19, which pass through the legs 20 of the base, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

One of the binding-posts 11 for the plate or disk a is connected to a suitable fuse-coil 21, which is connected to a binding-post 22. One of the plates d is similarly connected to a -fuse- ICQ coil 23, which is connected to the bindingpost 24. From the binding-postsv 22 and 24 connections 25 and 26 lead to the relay 4, controlling the signals for section A, and from the binding-posts 11 of the other disks c and d connections 27 and 28 lead to the rails of block-section A. One of the plates c and h is connected to fuse-coils 29 and 30, connected to binding-posts 3l and 32, and from the posts connections lead to the pole-changer 5 in the track battery-circuit for block-section B. The binding-posts 11 for the other disks or plates c b are connected to the tracks of section B by the connections 35 and 36. The ground plate or disk 13 is connected with the ground by a suitable connection 37. The disks or plates a Z) c CZ and the ground-plate 13 are serrated and lie in the same horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 3. The serrated edges are adjacent to each other, and the disks or plates, as before described, are electrically connected, so that the static charge accumulated in the rails of one block-section is discharged into the ground instead of passing from the rails to the block instrument or to one or both rails of the next block-section. When the serrations of the disks a Z9 c cl adjacent to the ground-plate 13 are melted off by the electrical discharge passing to the ground, the horizontal arrangement of the plates prevents the fusing together of the points that are melted, thereby preventing the uniting of circuits that should remain insulated one from the other or from the ground.

The operation of my device will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. Its advantages result from the arrangement of its discharge-plates, which permits discharges to occur between any two members of the circuits protected without presenting more than one air gap to the path of rupture. Other advantages result from the simplicity' of construction and the mounting of the plates so that they may be used after repeated injury.

Many changes may be made in the 'form and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, since I claim- 1. In a lightning-arrester, the combination of one or more serrated electrodes for each conductor protected, arranged so that at least one electrode of each conductor lies adjacent to an electrode of one of the other conductors, and a serrated electrode connected to earth and arranged in juxtaposition to all the other electrodes, substantially as described.

2. In a lightning-arrester, the combination of a centrally-arranged serrated electrode connected to earth, and a plurality of serrated electrodes at least one for each conductor to be protected, arranged relatively to each other and to the said electrode connected to earth as to form an air-space between any two adjacentelectrodes, substantially as described.

y 3. A lightning-arrester, comprisinga supporting-base, two or more serrated disks electrically adjacent to each other but not touching and connected to electrical devices or circuits, a serrated electrode connected to earth and arranged in juxtaposition to the lineelectrodes,thesaid disks being mounted above the level of the top of said base so as to afford aspace between said base and said disks, substantially as described.

4. In a lightning-arrester, the combination of a central adjustable serrated disk forming the earth-electrode, and a circular series of adjustable serrated disks surrounding the earthelectrode and forming the line-electrodes, all of said electrodes being in operative juxtaposition with its immediate neighbors, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOI-IN PRESSLEY COLEMAN.

Witnesses:

W. L. MODANIEL, JAMES CHALMERs, Jr. 

